Hi JY in Bangkok, Thanks for your post. I am not necessarily challenging the wisdom that low practice helps high playing. I agree that a lot of very successful high players use low playing to work on their high register. Your scream trumpet example is right on the money.
My question surrounds what the lesson to take away from low playing is. It seems that the scream trumpet players maybe aren't just trying to get the best low playing they can, and then automatically get an increase in high register performance. Maybe that is the case. Or maybe there is something specific they are focusing on that really helps bring sophistication, dependability, strength, etc. to their high register. I think Steve Freides pointed out a couple valuable things -- there is a great deal of air control required for low playing, plus a certain amount of relaxed, controlled tension. I certainly feel more in control of my tension when I'm playing low, like I have it in the right places and none of the wrong places, whereas I generally just squeeze everything I've got when I'm trying to play high :) So in fact I think I will start focusing on how I get the "correct tension" when I'm playing low. But I wonder if I could go even further in having smart, focused practice and awareness. Ideas? Regards, Marc > > Assuming that they use an ordinary Bb Trumpet for the job > (unlike our symphonic Tpt colleagues, I don’t think any of > them would bother to bring a C, D, G, A/Bb Piccolo or > whatever to the session), their so-called “strato” range > roughly corresponds to our normal (albeit high) octave of > 8th-16th overtones. I am not surprised if there’s some > similarity in the physical principles of both worlds. > _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
